Northeast Indian · Dessert

Chak-Hao Kheer

Chak-hao kheer, called chak-hao amubi in Manipur, is a sweet pudding of aromatic black rice simmered in milk until it turns deep purple. The deciding step is softening the rice fully after a long soak, before any sugar goes in, because this whole-grain rice stays stubbornly chewy once sugar has reached it.

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 1 hr 15 min
Total time: 1 hr 25 min
Servings: 6
Energy per serving: 259 kcalEstimated from this recipe's ingredients using IFCT 2017 and USDA values. Actual figures vary with portion and cooking.

Vegetarian
Gluten-free
Festive

Ingredients

1/2 cup chak-hao (Manipuri black rice, about 100 g), soaked overnight or at least 4 hours
2 cups water, plus the soaking water
1 litre full-cream milk
6 tablespoons sugar, adjusted to taste
1 bay leaf (tej patta)
4 green cardamom, lightly crushed
2 tablespoons chopped cashews
1 tablespoon raisins
1 teaspoon ghee, optional, for frying the nuts

NNWA health note

This is a dessert, and a good one, and it should be enjoyed as a small bowl on a special day. Black rice keeps its bran, which brings more fibre than polished rice along with the anthocyanin pigments that give it its colour, and the milk adds protein and calcium. None of that makes the sugar disappear, however. Sugar here can be cut by a tablespoon or two without much loss, since the rice has its own nutty aroma. Anyone with diabetes should treat this as they would any kheer and take advice from their doctor or dietitian.

Method

01
Rinse the rice lightly, cover it with 1 1/2 cups of water and soak overnight, or for at least 4 hours. The water will turn dark purple, so keep it, since it holds colour and aroma.
02
Put the rice with its soaking water, plus the 2 cups of fresh water and the bay leaf, in a heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a boil on medium, then cover and simmer on low for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring now and then, until the grains split and crush easily between your fingers and most of the water has been absorbed.
03
If you prefer a pressure cooker, use the same water and cook on medium for 1 whistle, then on low for 15 minutes, and let the pressure fall naturally. Check that the grains crush easily before you go on, and simmer longer if they do not.
04
Using the back of a ladle, gently crush about a quarter of the grains against the side of the pot for 1 minute. This releases starch and helps the kheer thicken.
05
In a separate pan, bring the milk just to a boil on medium, and pour it over the rice. Add the cardamom and simmer on low for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes and scraping the bottom, until the kheer turns a deep violet and coats the back of a spoon.
06
Stir in the sugar and simmer on low for 5 minutes more until it has dissolved and the kheer turns slightly glossy. Remember that it thickens a good deal as it cools, so take it off while it still looks a touch loose.
07
Warm the ghee on low in a small pan and fry the cashews for 1 to 2 minutes until golden, then add the raisins for 20 seconds until they puff up. Stir most of this into the kheer and remove the bay leaf.
08
Serve warm or chill for 2 hours and serve cold, with the remaining nuts on top. Add a splash of warm milk if it has set too thick.

Written byNeha Mohan Sinha, Clinical Nutritionist & Lead MentorM.Sc Nutrition · PhD Scholar · Command Hospital

Reviewed byDr. Induja Dixit, Senior DietitianMSc Dietetics & Nutrition · PhD Nutrition · 21 Years' Experience

Last reviewed on 2 November 2026.

NNWA publishes the name and qualifications of everyone who writes and checks its material. You can see the full teaching team on the faculty page.

A rice from Manipur

Chak-hao is an aromatic black rice grown in Manipur, where the word chak means rice and hao means delicious. It received a geographical indication tag in 2020, and rice sold under that name should be from the state. In Manipuri homes, the sweet pudding made with it, chak-hao amubi, comes out for feasts and community gatherings, and it has also turned up in recent years on menus and in specialist food shops across India. The grain itself looks black when raw and turns a deep purple on cooking.

Manipuri cooks often make it quite simply, with rice, milk and sugar, sometimes adding a bay leaf or cardamom. Some use only water to cook the rice with a little milk at the end. The version here adds cardamom and fried nuts, which is a common way to make it for guests, and uses a milk simmer closer to a rice kheer than a porridge.

Soaking and softening come first

Unlike the polished rice used for an everyday kheer, chak-hao keeps its bran layer, and it takes in water slowly. A long soak is what makes it cook evenly in a reasonable time, and the longer soak also gives you more of that purple colour. If you are short of time, four hours is the minimum, though you should allow an extra 15 minutes of simmering.

Sugar delays softening because it competes with the grain for water. That is why it goes in at the end, and why testing a grain between your fingers is the only sure way to know you are ready. A bite of the grain should give a gentle chew, as this rice never turns to complete mush. If you want a creamier result, crush more of the grains or give part of the rice a quick pulse in a mixer.

Common faults and how to fix them

Grains that stay hard are the most usual complaint, usually from a short soak or adding milk and sugar too early. Sugar already in? Add a cup of hot water and keep simmering gently on low. It will take a while but the rice will soften in the end, and you can reduce the extra water afterwards. A scorched taste comes from milk catching on the bottom. Stop stirring the moment you smell it, pour the unburnt kheer into a clean pot without scraping and carry on, as a pinch of extra cardamom can hide a very slight burn.

If the kheer sets too thick in the refrigerator, loosen it with warm milk. If it stays thin, the milk has not reduced enough, so simmer it longer with the lid off. The purple pigments can dull to grey in contact with reactive metal, so a heavy steel or non-stick pot is a safer choice than old aluminium.

Substitutions and a lighter way

Other black rice varieties, sold as Thai black rice or forbidden rice, work with the same method, though the aroma and texture can vary and the soaking time may be shorter. They are not the same as chak-hao, so name them honestly when you serve them. Jaggery makes a tasty swap for sugar, but add it off the heat once the kheer has cooled slightly to avoid splitting the milk. For a vegan kheer, use coconut milk with the same simmer and omit the ghee, and it pairs well with the nutty rice.

A lighter version can use toned milk with 4 tablespoons of sugar, and more rice crushed down to help it thicken. It will be less rich but still lovely. How to reduce sugar in a traditional sweet without ruining it is a practical question that NNWA's culinary nutrition course takes up.

Serving ideas

It is served both warm and chilled, in small bowls, since it is quite filling. The deep colour looks striking, and a few slivers of almond or a little coconut are all it needs. A meal built from the same region might start with a spicy eromba and rice and end with a small bowl of this, which gives a clear contrast between the fiery and the mild. The rice kheer page has nutrition figures for the plainer dish it is often compared with.

Storing and reheating

Because this has both cooked rice and milk, cool it quickly. Transfer it to a shallow dish, chill it within 2 hours, and eat it within 2 to 3 days. Do not leave it out on the counter overnight, since cooked rice can carry bacteria that multiply at room temperature. Reheat gently on low with a little milk, stirring until it is steaming hot right through, and reheat only what you will eat. It does not freeze well, as the milk tends to separate on thawing.

Learn the science

Culinary Nutrition (Nutrition Chef)

This dish's nutrition reasoning is taught in full in this NNWA course.

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03Questions

What people ask about Chak-Hao Kheer

Does chak-hao rice need to be soaked?

Yes, for best results. Soaking overnight softens the bran so the grain cooks evenly and gives up its colour. Without a soak, you will need much longer on the stove and the texture will come out less even, with hard centres in many of the grains.

Where can I buy chak-hao rice?

Organic food shops, online grocers and sellers from the Northeast usually stock it. Look for Manipur or chak-hao on the label, because plain black rice from elsewhere may be a different variety. Keep it sealed in a cool, dark cupboard.

Why is my kheer purple and not black?

That is normal. The pigment in the bran dissolves into the milk, and a rich violet is exactly what you want. A paler lilac usually means there was too much milk for the rice, while a deep, inky shade suggests less milk or a longer simmer.

Can I make this with coconut milk?

Yes. Soften the rice in water as usual, then add thin coconut milk for the simmer and stir in a little thick coconut milk at the very end, on low heat. This makes the dish dairy-free, and many people enjoy the way it suits the rice.

04Keep cooking